Celebration of Life

Senior Vice President of Data Science & AI at BetterHelp, and David’s last PhD student. After earning his doctorate, he followed the academic path that David had always envisioned for him, diving deep into research on big data science and machine learning. When he eventually decided to step away from academia to pursue a career in industry, David—ever the professor—was hesitant at first. But as he watched Hamed thrive, applying his expertise to work that truly impacts people’s lives, his hesitation turned into immense pride. David believed in the power of knowledge, but even more so in the importance of using it for the greater good. And seeing Hamed do exactly that meant the world to him.

Professor and Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management, was a PhD student at UBC when he attended a seminar David gave on airline pricing. Seizing the moment, he proposed a joint empirical paper on the volatility of prices. Five co-authored publications later, their partnership had grown beyond academia. They continued to meet almost weekly online—not just to discuss research, but to share a passion for baking and bond over the fact that both had married a German. David’s final published paper—at the age of 76—was co-authored with Benny.

A former colleague of David’s at the Sauder School of Business, never runs out of ideas for keeping hundreds of students on their toes and engaged in class, and for entertaining his loyal CBC audience as the Word Guy on North by Northwest. Over the years, he and David had formed a wonderful friendship, with Jonathan making a habit of dropping by David’s office in the mornings before class—always leaving behind a riddle that had David puzzling over it for the rest of the day, often coming home with a grin, still turning it over in his mind. Their ‘beer-time’ chats were a cherished ritual, and attending Jonathan’s annual Purim musical productions was always a highlight.